Lake Kivu Boat Trips & Experiences

Julius and Jan were really friendly and very capable. Both my husband and I had a really good time. Julius picked us up from our hotel on time, and delivered everything you promised and more. Julius didn't just guide us, he volunteered information about the culture and the environment we were hiking in. A true guide!! Would recommend him and your tour to anyone.

A great way to see the coast of Lake Kivu and learn more about the lake and the surrounding areas! Also a quick stop at the hot springs! Be sure to wear shorts or pants that can roll up or even a bathing suit for a hot spring soak!

Yusuf, Giselle and Jean brought out the best of Lake Kivu. The visit to Napoleon Island - with the great views from its peak - was memorable Jeff - Malta

I had a lovely boat trip starting from Kibuye with a stop for hiking Napoleon island. Gisela was a lovely guide and explained a lot of interesting facts about the lake and the fisherman. I recommend this experience

Amazing views. Knowledgeable guide. Great captain and smooth sailing. Many animals. The lake is enormous and can’t really be captured in photo.

We truly enjoyed the night fishing experience with Salama! We thought we were only going to get to observe the fisherman going out, but we actually got to sit on board their fishing and help all the nets in! Is hard to beat the beauty of Lynn key, but it is even more magical when you get to be on the lake at dark.

Simply amazing! The landscape is stunning all around , Giselle is a very talented girl, she knows everything we needed to know, also Ja (?), the captain is a very nice guy. Not a easy hiking on Napoleon Island but, then, already at the first stop, the view at sundown is breathtaking! Ending with the fishermen boats was like the cherry on the cake!!!!

The lake is beautiful with some islands and birds. The captain and the tour guide miss Giselle was wonderful, very friendly and experienced, her passionate commentary was so impressive

Sheba was a great guide. They met me at my desired location, Lakeside Bar and Restaurant and then we went around the lake and she pointed out all the cool spots and explained some of the history. The fishing village was cool. I took the trip from Gisenyi, but apparently Kibuye has more stuff to do.

For nature lovers this is a must do whenever you are in Rwanda. #visitRwanda. Visited the several islands in Lake Kivu and the one that got our attention most was the island with the swimming cows.

The trip was very pleasant and interesting. Josiane is very professional and kind, providing a lot of interesting facts about the history and nature of Lake Kivu. We did a trek to the top of Napoleon Island, passing through flocks of bats flying amid the treetops. This experience exceeded my expectations for a short boat trip. Those three hours made my day.

We loved our boat trips on Lake Kivu with Ames Boat Tours. One of the highlights of our month in Rwanda was an evening with the night fishermen, setting off from Cormoran Lodge at Kibuye and following their three connected fishing boats and watching them make their first catch of the night. We hadn't expected to be out on the lake until after 9pm but our wonderful guide, Josiane, persuaded us to hang around - and the result was the most magical experience. We watched the fishermen choose their spot to fish (amid a torrential thunderstorm!), drop their nets and place their lights to attract the fish. And then we waited, our boat tied to one of theirs, enabling us to listen as the crew members rested and spoke gently on their phones, or listen quietly to music (yes - there is even phone signal in the middle of Lake Kivu!), to the constant backdrop of sloshing water between the boats. This was simply stunning. Then suddenly, the nets were being hauled up, to produce a surprisingly small catch. Thank you Josiane for a memorable event - and for showing the marine corps who challenged us when travelling back to Cormoran Lodge in the dark, the required paperwork and permit! We also took a boat to Napoleon Island from Cormoran Lodge and climbed to the top - where we met Denise Uwimana, who has written a book on her experiences of the genocide. And another boat from Gisenyi to a coffee plantation for a fascinating lesson in how the beans go from tree to cup.

Very nice trip. Quickly got in contact with our guide, Josiane, who was willing to make changes according to our needs. The trip itself took 2-3h, during which we got detailed explanations on the surrounding and made a hike on one of the islands. Overall a very pleasant experience.

I called to book a boat ride on last minute and Shema immediately confirmed my booking and pick me up and my lodge I enjoyed the excursion and learnt more about the local people, the lake and surroundings The boat is the best local boat on the lake with great service Cold drinks and soft drinks are offered during the ride Do not hesitate to book

We wanted to travel from Karongi (Kibuye) to Rubavu (Gisenyi) and boat is definitely the best way to do it. AMES Boat Tours were excellent. The communication and flexibility with arrangements was superb. The boat arrived on time, we had life jackets, water and plastic covers for our bags in case it rained. Shema also suggested a couple of stops along the way to visit a coffee production plant and a bee keeping experience which were very enjoyable and interesting. All in all our boat trip with Shema and his colleagues was one of the highlights of our trip to Rwanda.

Great experience to see lake Kivu by boat. We went to the hot springs with healing minerals from the vulcano and learned a lot about Rwanda, the area, the lake and the fishing. Our guide spoke good English and knew a lot!

We have a very peaceful boat trip on the lake Kivu including a good trek on Napoleon island. We appreciated our guide Josiane who was nice and professional.

Fantastic experience on the night fishing. Thank you for all the insights and opportunity to share some time with the lake Kivu

A wonderful three hours with wonderful people. Amedee and Patrick took us on a three hour boat ride experience with expert , entertaining, often witty commentary accompanied by great music of our choice. A boat was in excellent condition which made for a smooth, safe boat ride. The boat has a canopy so one does not need a hat to shield from the sun. We went to the hot springs and they waited while we enjoyed the spa. On the ride back they chose the perfect location for a swim in Lake Kivu. A truly wonderful, professional company.

Shema was the perfect Tour guide. I had a blast at Lake Kivu. Ames boat and Tours had the perfect combination of guides for each part of the trip, helped negotiate fares for activities and facilitated tours within Kigali as well. All for a good price. i left with more than a beautiful experience but with a friend. i would definitely come again!

I absolutely enjoyed the personalized service I got with this excursion. This was a last minute booking, and I found the communication by Shema really fast, informative and customer centric. The actual ride itself was great. Patrick, the guide is well versed in the lay of the land and lake and provided rich info throughout the ride. The sunset ride was such an enjoyable thing to do. I would totally recommend Ames for guided activities, and will be booking more activities with them the next time I'm in Rwanda.

Couldn't have asked for a better guide, Sheema was available 24/7. Prompt and professional, he worked with our tight budget and gave us an experience that was far more than the money. Glad we used his service, will be recommending him to everyone looking to visit Rwanda and wants to have a great time at Lake Kivu.

Shema was an excellent guide and very knowledgeable. Excellent boat ride and coffee experience. We also did the Monkey Island Tour, and the weather really favored us, hot and sunny

I had the best experience using Ames boat tours. The quality of service was topnotch and always kept to scheduled time for every activities no delays. Customer service was very good in times when we need to reschedule an activity.

It was amazing! We had a lovely time, me and my group. They explained it very well and were very nice! 10/10 would recommend

We spent two days with Shema and the boat around the towns of kinunu and Rubavu. Great experience, they where generous, kind and very accurate. Upgraded our adventure.

Shema, one of the owners of AMES, was so helpful and accomodating. We enjoyed his services twice - once going from Krongi to Kinunu (after they extracted us from Napoleon Island :)) and then after a biking patch - from a point on the lake to Gisenyi Both times the boat was on time, clean, with fresh water and good gear, smiling operators who are going out of themselves to assist, but without disturbing - fantastic experience from yoing Rwandan entrepreneurs!!!

Had an amazing time on the boat tour! Joshua picked me up from my hotel and it was smooth sailing from there. We spent a fair amount of time on the water before visiting the hot springs. You get the royal treatment: massage, body scrubs, local herbs....it was great!!!

Lake Kivu is so relaxing place. The view from the boat was so good. We went to a hot spring and got a massage. The massage was really good and very relaxing. キブ湖のボートツアーでは穏やかな湖をゆったり見て回れました。立ち寄った温泉は思ったより温泉で足湯とマッサージをしましたがとても気持ち良かったです。

Really nice boattrip with very friendly guides. We really enjoyed the whole trip and even the location with hot spots that we spent some time in. I can truly recommend this to anyone who goes to Gisenyi!

Shema was a great tour guide. Not only he he was responsible for the awesome time we had on Lac Kivu, he also helped us plan our trip to Gisenyi, days before we arrived. His boat tour is worth everything. Perfect lake, perfect boat, perfect guide.

By the motor boat, went to the other side for the hot spring, and again by the boat, went to the small rock island. The tour guide gave me the excellent information and the boat driver was nice gentleamd friendly. Will recommend my friends to try this tour. 日本語でもコメントを書かないと、文字数が0のままなので、何か書きます。読む人は少ないと思いますけど。ガイドも船のドライバーもフレンドリーで親切で、とても楽しかったし、安心して過ごせました。ぜひどうぞ。

An outing not to be missed with many discoveries: the walk on Lake Kivu, the magnificent view from Napoleon Island, the fishermen of Sambaza, the animals: monkeys, bats, swimming cows...